The present invention relates to a dispenser of single papers, and in particular to a coin-operated paper dispenser in which the papers are individually dispensed upon insertion of the proper coinage.
The typical street corner paper rack has a metal box which holds a vertical stack of papers, and a front vertical or near-vertical door which can be opened when the proper coinage is inserted. Once the front door is open, the user has access to the entire stack of papers, but it is presumed that the user has use for only one paper and will leave the rest for the next customer. Unfortunately, this system is defenseless against the unscrupulous user who might insert the necessary coinage to obtain a single paper, but remove the entire stack and sell the papers on his own at considerable profit. Also, where patronage is heavy, the temptation to leave the door open for the next purchaser is at times overwhelming.
The desirability of a dispenser which would issue only one paper at a time when the appropriate coinage is inserted is manifest. However, the design of such a single paper dispenser which will withstand abuse and resist tampering in a street corner environment, and adapt to the varying thicknesses of different papers, has proved to be difficult. Attempts at designing such dispensers are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,263,033; 1,621,960; 2,396,411; 2,926,814; 3,263,859; 3,957,175; and 4,085,864, but these dispensers are not used extensively. At present, the conventional fully openable rack is used almost exclusively despite its deficiencies because single dispenser designs have proved to be unequal to the task.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,411 to Cameron discloses a paper vending machine in which a stack of papers supported at the back by a movable plate slides down an inclined ramp against a stop. Cams are provided for lifting the forwardmost paper over the stop to dispense one paper at a time. It would appear that the Cameron device would not operate efficiently because the stack of papers is forced against the stop at all times, jamming the device when there is an attempt made to dispense the forwardmost one of them.